A/N: This one came easy. I'm pleased. Hope you like it. Alexandri.

No chapter theme for now because I can't think of one.

Leila was in seventh heaven. Having already opened all of her presents, she'd been granted the privilege of passing out the remaining gifts to the adults. Luke watched his tiny niece gleefully hand his mother a brightly wrapped package from Joan. He couldn't help being impressed with the pretty child. Though he was certain she couldn't yet read, she seemed to recognize the various names after they'd been read to her once or twice. Despite the enormous grin on her face, she appeared to take her gift-giving duty quite seriously, only accepting help when the packages were simply too big or heavy for her. Luke thought he'd like very much to get to know her better.

Settling back against the cushions, he surveyed his family. Amidst the paper-strewn living room, couples cuddled all around him. His parents sat close together, Will's arm wrapped securely around Helen's waist. Joan was actually in Adam's lap while Rebecca was curled in a chair next to Kevin, her head on his shoulder. He smiled when he noticed his sister-in-law's gaze was torn between baby Trevor resting obliviously in Kevin's arms and little Leila delivering gifts with the fabled dedication of a postal worker. He shared the loveseat with Caroline, her hand lightly held in his. Only Grace sat alone, slightly removed from everyone else. A vague smile lit her face as she too watched Leila, who was currently under the Christmas tree.

"I think that's all the presents, sweetheart," Rebecca said as Leila disappeared to her hips.

"There's one more, Mommy," came the little girl's response. Seconds later, she emerged with a silver-wrapped rectangle. "See?"

"Who's it for?" Helen asked.

Leila glanced at the tag. "Uncle Luke?" She showed the gift to her dad for confirmation. When he nodded, she picked her way toward the mess and handed the present to him with as much flourish as a three-year-old could muster. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Luke."

"Merry Christmas, Leila," he answered and kissed her forehead. He perused the tag to see who it was from but only saw his name. With great care, he unwrapped it to find a box in his hands with an envelope taped to it. He opened the envelope and pulled out the card. There was a window on the cover showing a snowy night. A single candle sat on the sill. He opened the card and silently read.

"It's rare to find someone you can lean on who'll give you the support you need without asking the questions you aren't ready to answer. You did that for me once and I never properly thanked you. Okay, I never thanked you at all. But I've always remembered the time you took and the care you gave me. I know it's several years late, but I wanted to give you a token of my appreciation. Happy Holidays, Girardi. Grace.

"P.S., let's keep this between us. No one else really needs to know."

Smiling, Luke put the card back in its envelope and opened the box. Inside lay the 40th anniversary DVD of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He burst out laughing, carefully not looking at Grace.

"What is it?" Kevin asked.

Taking the DVD out of the box, he showed it to the family.

"I didn't think you liked that movie," Joan said, looking at Luke with narrowed eyes.

He should have known Joan would suspect something even though he still had yet to look in Grace's direction. Luke merely shrugged. "I acquired a new appreciation for it at school." Placing the movie and the envelope in the box, Luke tried to squash his smile but it simply wouldn't go away. Surreptitiously, he glanced at Grace. She looked perfectly innocent. His smile grew even bigger. Leave it to the most complicated girl he'd ever known to give him the best present he'd ever gotten.